Night of Blessed Snow: Black Hair Entwined on Sleeves, Cheeks Pressed Together, Lips...

Jiang Xue He calmly gazed at Di Ying in his arms.
Thick eyelashes, dark eyes, a hint of a smile, she clung to his neck, intimately cuddling as usual. Her clear, dark eyes gazed intently at him.
She was truly a carefree and thoughtless person.
No matter the circumstances, she only cared about herself. She had little patience for others, rarely giving a second glance to strangers. But now, in an utterly unfamiliar environment, she remained by his side, and when unaware of the schemes of demonic beasts and Filth Ghosts, she actively pressed close to him.
She even wanted a "reward."
So that was it.
Jiang Xue He thought to himself: *She recognizes who I am.*
She had known who he was long before entering Huangquan Peak. She always feigned a good temper in front of strangers, unable to endure her own impatience, which was why she would offer it to Jiang Xue He, waiting for him to soothe it.
In truth, Di Ying's behavior was very obvious; she never deliberately hid it from him.
However, Jiang Xue He was indeed very composed. For a long time, he still believed she was simply particularly compatible with a newly acquainted, unfamiliar Senior Brother. He mistakenly thought she liked this ordinary-looking facade, and because of this, he avoided her all the way, feeling strange in his heart.
Jiang Xue He had lost in this regard.
The demonic beasts and Filth Ghosts tentatively engaged in battle on the spiderwebs, then circled, waiting to ambush the two who had fallen into the Restriction.
Leaning against the cliff, Jiang Xue He observed Di Ying, wanting to see what kind of little monster she was, to make him repeat himself to this extent.
She was merely a Junior Sister whom his Master had asked him to look after, merely the "declaration of allegiance" he needed to enter the Tianshan Sect. Yet, he had become so invested in this "declaration of allegiance."
Allowing another to concern him, thus affecting his judgment.
She was merely a beautiful, lively, and innocent little girl, prone to tantrums, always making him worry she would cause trouble at any moment.
Had he become overly concerned with caring for her, exceeding the appropriate distance between Senior Brother and Junior Sister?
Jiang Xue He lowered his eyes, focusing on Di Ying.
Di Ying, who was clinging to his neck and acting spoiled, felt a little unnatural under Jiang Xue He's overly focused, unblinking gaze.
His eyes were like a pool of ice and snow hidden beneath a spring, clear and serene. But as spring water emerged, breaking the ice of the spring pond, this vast expanse of ice and snow broke forth, sweeping towards her on the wind.
Di Ying's arms, wrapped around him, began to stiffen. In a panic, she dared not meet her Senior Brother's gaze. In this same panic, a natural shyness arose within her, making her feel she might have been a bit too much.
She would scare Senior Brother.
Senior Brother wouldn't like her capriciousness.
Di Ying felt a vague unease and quietly tried to withdraw her arms from his neck, subtly shifting her body away. She even wanted to hide her head in the sand and turn her face to watch the demonic beasts eagerly preparing to swoop down.
Di Ying's voice was sweet and soft, "So many demonic beasts, ah…"
She stealthily tried to pull her wrist away, but it was caught by a cold finger.
Di Ying turned her head and looked up, meeting Jiang Xue He's downcast gaze. He held her wrist, his eyes clear yet peculiar, a faint smile playing on the corner of his lips.
Di Ying's face flushed.
He leaned slightly, one hand holding her wrist, preventing her from moving wildly;
His other hand reached out before her, and beneath her eyes, his fingers, curved like cool white jade, emitted a light in the dim, unfamiliar space.
The next instant, with a flutter, a golden ethereal butterfly flew from his fingertip.
The butterfly flew towards Di Ying. Di Ying exclaimed, "Oh!" and laughed with joyful surprise, watching the butterfly fly into her eyes. She felt the coolness and delight brought by the Spiritual Energy, reaching out to catch the butterfly in her eyes, but the butterfly flew out from her gaze and landed on her temple.
Di Ying heard Jiang Xue He's voice, "This is a reward."
He asked, "Are you happy?"
Di Ying nodded repeatedly, reaching out to grasp the butterfly condensed from spiritual energy. The pressure from the gloomy environment instantly vanished.
She played with the butterfly, her wide eyes fixed on him.
Only Senior Brother would waste Spiritual Energy, molding such a useless toy from it, just to make her happy.
Only Jiang Xue He would value the "reward" she desired.
He, he…
Di Ying suddenly realized he was no longer concealing his identity. The butterfly fluttered around her, and each time it landed on her, Di Ying could feel the cool breath belonging to her Senior Brother drawing near. Such a faint breath, Di Ying usually couldn't detect, but this time, she had noticed it.
She grew very fond of him, throwing herself into his arms, "Senior Brother!"
He didn't object, no longer uttering words like "I am not your Senior Brother."
His upper body stiffened, but when Di Ying rushed into his embrace, he didn't push her away. He couldn't articulate his thoughts; his mind was in turmoil. He could only, as usual, first comfort her.
But there was no time here for him to explain why he had to pretend to be a stranger.
The demonic beasts couldn't stand the sight of the Senior Brother and Junior Sister being so leisurely. The aura of the Filth Ghosts, having just torn through a section of spiderweb, grew stronger, accompanied by piercing whistles. The two different types of creatures now cooperated with extreme tacit understanding, swooping down from above, attacking Di Ying and Jiang Xue He.
Di Ying held her Senior Brother tightly, "Be careful!"
—
This was the strongest wave of attacks they had encountered, and it continued to intensify.
The Restriction had a breach, and more and more Filth Ghosts poured through it. The Filth Ghosts made the aura of the demonic beasts sealed here turn violent. With a pincer attack from both sides, Di Ying's scalp tingled.
Moreover, this was certainly not all.
At the very least, Di Ying knew that a Wu Zhi Hui, bearing Elder Chen's face, lurked in the shadows. It had not yet revealed itself.
Wu Zhi Hui was a type of monster that liked to hide in the dark; it could command all Filth Ghosts. If the Filth Ghosts were attacking them, it meant Wu Zhi Hui had been watching them all along. The Wu Zhi Hui here was completely different from the Suan Yu in the Five Poisons Forest; it had more patience and was stronger than Suan Yu.
Di Ying was exhausted dealing with them.
Her Spiritual Energy was inherently weak. At this moment, facing enemies hundreds of times stronger than herself, it was like walking on a precipice, liable to be pushed down the cliff at any moment.
And Jiang Xue He couldn't help her much.
Although Senior Brother fought these enemies with her, his movements grew increasingly sluggish. Many times, he was scratched and injured by monsters swooping down from the sky, seizing the opportunity.
Di Ying was furious.
She cried out, "Aren't you trying to break the Restriction? I'm not stopping you, so why do you keep targeting us?"
Indeed, she was now an Inner Disciple of the Yujing Sect, but Di Ying was selfish and didn't feel much belonging to the Yujing Sect. She didn't understand why she was sent to Huangquan Peak, didn't understand why Elder Chen had schemed to bring her here, and she didn't care whether the Yujing Sect lived or died.
As long as she and her Senior Brother were alive, that was enough!
Just then, a hand suddenly pressed her shoulder, with a somewhat strong force.
Di Ying cried out in pain. She turned her head and saw Jiang Xue He pressing her shoulder.
That stranger's face was utterly indifferent. His hand rested on her shoulder, his fingers already forming a spell, and it seemed a magic art was about to strike Di Ying. But Jiang Xue He was Jiang Xue He after all; he reacted very quickly and withdrew his hand.
He stared blankly at his hand, which had just cast the spell, his brow slightly furrowed.
Di Ying, "Senior Brother?"
Seeing her wanting to approach, he retreated two steps. "Be careful of me."
Di Ying was anxious.
In the chaos, seeing the monsters rushing to surround her Senior Brother and push him away, she rushed forward without a second thought, grabbing his hand.
Di Ying, "No need. I trust you; you can control it."
Her eyes were misty and extremely moist. Jiang Xue He feared she would cry out of fright, so he vaguely agreed for now.
He continued to fight the monsters with his Junior Sister, but his heart was in utter turmoil. He couldn't help but repeatedly check the marked trace in his Sea of Consciousness.
Originally, this trace was not deep in color, but each time the Filth Ghosts attacked, its color deepened a bit. It was clear that this curse was affected by filth aura.
Jiang Xue He quickly filtered through the curses that would be affected by filth aura — he couldn't lose control, couldn't leave Di Ying alone here, and certainly couldn't become a monster, becoming Di Ying's enemy.
Therefore, he couldn't help but loosen the shackles of the Jing Ren Curse binding his Soul.
Those shackles trapped him, filled with dense, overbearing ghostly aura, absolutely forbidding his sustenance from being coveted by others.
The dual battle caused Jiang Xue He to endure myriad torments.
Once he loosened the Jing Ren Curse, his face instantly turned extremely pale, his entire body ached, and in reality, he couldn't even lift a finger. He dared not relax even a bit, fully controlling the internal struggle.
And at this moment, Jiang Xue He glanced at that trace once more.
This time, his pupils constricted: The trace adhered to his Primordial Spirit's Sea of Consciousness, after colliding with the shackles, slowly burned into a black original form by the immensely overbearing Ten Directions Annihilation Jing Ren Curse.
A faint, withered leaf was stuck to his Primordial Spirit.
This was… the "Withered Leaf Curse"!
The Withered Leaf Curse would be activated by filth aura, growing stronger and stronger. But if it didn't come into contact with filth aura for a long time, the Withered Leaf Curse would automatically dissipate. This wasn't a particularly powerful curse, which was why Elder Chen dared to cast it on disciples without worrying about it being discovered.
After all, Yujing Sect disciples wouldn't easily come into contact with filth aura…
Jiang Xue He's eyes sparkled: Recognizing the Withered Leaf Curse, he knew how to resolve it.
—
Di Ying was furious.
Demonic beasts attacked her, and Filth Ghosts attacked her too. She clearly wasn't stopping them from doing bad things, yet they deliberately felt she was.
She even wanted to shield her Senior Brother, giving him time to break the curse. But she didn't know when her foolish Senior Brother could break the curse, and she also feared he would be controlled and stab her in the back again…
In the chaos, Jiang Xue He suddenly reached out and grabbed Di Ying, pulling her away from her original spot. In one step, the two moved, shifting into mid-air.
Jiang Xue He left behind vines at their original position, tangling with the attacking monsters, giving Di Ying a moment to catch her breath.
Di Ying breathed a sigh of relief.
She was held by the wrist by Jiang Xue He, who said, "Xiao Ying, burn me."
Di Ying looked up in a panic, thinking he had lost his mind.
Jiang Xue He, while fighting the surrounding attacking monsters, quickly said, "I've been cursed, it's the Withered Leaf Curse.
"Did your former Master teach you how to break the Withered Leaf Curse? Control fire, burn!"
Withered Leaf Curse.
Di Ying recalled: *The Withered Leaf Curse, born from qi, dissolved by fire (ngộ khí sinh chi, ngộ phí hóa chi).*
This weak curse would take form upon encountering qi, like the occasional cinnabar dots appearing on the foreheads of controlled disciples;
And it would be burned away by temperatures higher than body temperature.
The only condition was that the caster could not be oneself.
Elder Chen didn't intend to harm people with this curse; it wasn't difficult to break.
But to burn Jiang Xue He with fire…
Di Ying felt a struggle in her heart for the first time.
However, Di Ying was inherently a very ruthless person. After quickly convincing herself, she intended to control fire. But at this moment, her Spiritual Energy was almost depleted, and she couldn't draw much from her spiritual pool.
She formed a hand seal to control fire. An ordinary person could learn fire control spells after a few tries, but for her, even forming the hand seal required immense effort. Each word she chanted felt like a sledgehammer striking her mind, hindering her.
Heaven did not grant her cultivation talent.
She had always defied the heavens.
Dense black qi surged, demonic beasts roared madly, and the world here was covered in shattered spiderwebs to the maximum extent. Filth Ghosts continuously collided, causing the golden Restriction to tremble and crack. Demonic beasts wanted to escape the Restriction, and Filth Ghosts outside wanted to enter it.
A chaotic scene.
In this dim world, in mid-air, Di Ying's face was pale as she repeatedly formed hand seals and chanted spells. She had clearly tried her best, but only a tiny flame flickered at her fingertip before quickly vanishing.
Her talent, which always held her back, once again exposed the cruelty of heaven's will towards her.
Di Ying staggered back a few steps, finally accepting reality, and slumped her hands down. "I, I can't do it."
Jiang Xue He saw all her efforts. He saw her small, pale face devoid of color, saw the moisture in her eyes that didn't fall, and her tightly pressed lips. He then felt regret.
He comforted her, "I'll find another way…"
Di Ying looked at him. "Born from qi, dissolved by fire.
"I can't use fire control spells. Senior Brother, I'll use another method to help you break the curse."
Jiang Xue He was still fighting enemies and didn't know what she meant. Before he could say anything, Di Ying transformed into a cloud of mist, rushed towards him, and threw herself into his arms.
At the same time, she unleashed the remaining talismans in her possession, blocking the monsters that hated them to the bone.
The brief illusion spell took effect. The Filth Ghosts and demonic beasts momentarily lost sight of the two and began attacking each other. Under the assault of the Filth Ghosts and demonic beasts, the cracks on the golden Restriction increased. Heaven and earth shook, and the ground itself began to crack.
This Restriction was about to break.
Jiang Xue He was embraced by Di Ying, struck by her from mid-air.
She wrapped her arms around his waist, and as the monsters slaughtered each other, she looked up.
Di Ying's breath brushed Jiang Xue He's face.
She pressed one hand against his neck, making him lower his head, while she looked up.
Di Ying's lips landed on his forehead:
"...Heaven is clear and bright, sun and moon chase the body. Spirits of the five directions, witness me, burn with fire, transform endlessly — Break!"
The maiden's soft lips, replacing fire, rested on his forehead, helping him break the curse.
A myriad of galloping horses, a chaotic battlefield of emotions, strange and intense to the extreme, surged over Jiang Xue He.
Jiang Xue He forgot the internal battle in his Sea of Consciousness, staring blankly as the trace in his Sea of Consciousness slowly dissipated. The excess Spiritual Energy in his spiritual pool suddenly ceased, like a lamentable situation.
During the spellcasting, the two fell from mid-air.
Black hair entwined on sleeves, cheeks pressed together, lips touching forehead. The two were like withered leaves fluttering, continuously falling within the shattering Restriction.
Below, Jiang Xue He's heart surged with emotions like a flood, dissolving. He couldn't control his heartbeat and could only force himself to spread his sleeves, embracing Di Ying as they fell together.
He looked up at her rosy cheeks and dark eyes.
As he watched her for a moment, his body uncontrollably began to change.
—
The unfamiliar face gradually receded, replaced by an elegant and refined face, like flowing mountains and rivers.
His slightly upturned nose, slender and straight, touched Di Ying's cold cheek.
Faint scars appeared at the corners of his eyes. White jade-like skin quickly became covered in wound-like marks. His entire body's bones rapidly withered. The fingers embracing her hand were thin and pale, like dried wood.
Di Ying, held in his embrace, naturally felt the bones pressed against her Senior Brother lengthening and transforming. A clear, serene snow-like fragrance, along with his gentle yet captivating eyes, enveloped her.
Graceful and beautiful, calm and gentle, without the hood concealing his face, the true Senior Brother had returned.
—
Yue Nu entered the shattered Restriction, and before she could find Wu Zhi Hui, she saw the two in this state.
Yue Nu hovered in mid-air, a hint of confusion in her.
Before engaging in battle, she seized the moment, decisively noting in her small notebook, which sought to understand human emotions:
*Di Ying probably wants to get married.*